The Summer that was Winter

The summer that was winter is over. Many of you may know that I’ve been very fortunate to work with a client in Sydney, Australia and have made the long trek from San Francisco to Sydney three times since July 1st and am on my way there for the fourth time. So far I’ve spent 6 weeks there, and this next trip will make it eight.

I’ve enjoyed my time in Sydney and feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to visit a continent and country that has been on my wish list for as long as I can remember. There have been many wonderful things I’ve been able to do and many amazing experiences I’ve been able to share with my wife and 15 month old daughter on their one visit. As a family we had an opportunity to see the Blue Mountains, The Opera House, Taronga Zoo (which in my opinion is one of the best I’ve ever been too) and a whole slew of other fun stuff. I also went to The Daintree National Rainforest and The Great Barrier Reef and had an incredible weekend visiting North Eastern Australia. Seeing the reef was all it was cracked up to be and more. The sheer size and beauty of it is hard to put into words but if you get to Australia it MUST be on your to do list.

Spending so much of the summer in the Southern Hemisphere in winter without my family it was just great to be able to spend the evenings with them and see my daughter learn to say and do new things. When you’re a traveling fool like me these are some the big things you miss, and don’t realize till you’re on the road and something happens. Hearing her learn to say koala, moo recognize animals and sit down when asked may seem so mundane but still so amazing. Watching your kid develop right in front of your eyes is one of the benefits of being a dad I didn’t even think about let alone realize I’d be missing.

I look forward to traveling for my job it’s tons of fun and I get to occasionally go to amazing places like this one, and sometimes not so glamorous ones like Fresno (no offense). And who would give up a trip to Australia? But with the summer slipping away in the Northern Hemisphere and enjoying Winter downunder, I look forward to enjoying Winter back home with the family getting to see my daughter do the next great thing!!!